Millennium Love
by Coka Cookie Cola
Summary: Re-write of National Treasure; Yami Yugi, whose family had been mocked for generations, is a treasure hunter: no joke. When he finds out that the legendary Millennium Items are real, as well as the fact he is the reincarnation of an ancient Pharaoh, he goes on a remarkable quest to find the seven items before someone else does...
1. Prologue: The Hunt Begins

**Welcome to my newest Yu-Gi-Oh! Spoof! I am so excited! :D**

**I actually really wanted to get going on this, because let's face it, this summer I have nothing better to do. **

_Cast:_

_Ben Gates – Yami Yugi_

_Abigail – Tea Gardener_

_Riley – Joey Wheeler_

_Ian – Bandit Keith_

_Patrick Gates – Soloman Mutou_

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NATIONAL TREASURE – IT BELONGS TO DISNEY! NOR DO I OWN YU-GI-OH!**

**Millennium Love**

**Prologue: The Hunt Begins**

Yami Yugi was not particularly interested in history, like his grandfather, but there was a specific point in time that he really wanted to learn about. He had been ten years old at the time; meaning he was still preoccupied with youth activities like children's card games. It was often said that he was so passionate about the game; he collected trading cards like everyone else, he practiced his strategies, and often beat his friends countless times.

But from what most people didn't know, was that he wasn't a normal child. People often said that his winning streaks were exactly that, but only those close to Yami's family knew better: that he was actually in fact, the King of Games. The only people that knew of Yami's true heritage – being the reincarnation of one of the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt – were Soloman, the boy's father, and Ishizu: a family friend.

The whole story, as it turned out, started on this one, spring evening; Yami, who was visiting his grandfather, had a sudden urge to look up the truth; sure, he was breaking into his grandfather's attic without permission, but he was curious.

When most people see Yami, they see an innocent child, who had an odd resemblance to his father; spiked hair dipped in violet streaks, blonde bangs and his natural hair colour was supposed to be black. His eyes were an unusual shade of amethyst; which people often thought were the devil's colour. Even though he was a kind child, only a few select children had made friends with him.

Lightning flashed before Yami's eyes, causing the ten year old to flinch in surprise. He swallowed his doubts, crumpled his hands into fists and proceeded toward the ancient bookshelf on the opposite side of the room.

"Yami? What are you doing over there in the dark?" Grandpa's voice rang clear throughout the attic; his voice was also laced with curiosity, but not so much disappointment or displeasure.

"I just wanted to know the story," Yami explained. Although he was a little disappointed that he had come so close to the book that would reveal all to him. The fact that he kind of heard about the story from his dad, it just made him more curious (even though Soloman didn't exactly have anything nice to say about it…) to learn about.

"I think it is about time you knew…" Grandpa's dark violet eyes gazed into his only grandchild's; Yami couldn't tell whether or not they were filled with regret. But from the way he put things, it sounded like he knew something Yami didn't.

Both family members took a seat across from each other. Grandpa sat on the recliner chair while Yami took a regular lawn chair. Considering that the attic was not used for any purpose, apart from storing old mementos, what use was there for putting actual furniture?

"What you have to understand Yami, is that you can't tell anyone else what I'm about to explain to you." Yami somehow had a feeling that his grandfather wanted to talk to him about something else before the story was actually explained to him. He could feel his heart rate fluctuate…

"Do you know what a reincarnation is, Yami?" He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. Yami was not five years old; he was ten. There were a lot of things that he knew at this point, obviously from school, but then there were some things that he had no idea what they were. "Basically, a reincarnation is a person who has a soul that is reborn."

Yami understood the definition, but from what he didn't understand, why was it applied to Yami?

"Am I a reincarnation of somebody, Grandpa?" Yami inquired politely.

"As a matter of fact, you just might be the reincarnation of one of the Pharaohs of Egypt." Yami didn't know if he should be surprised; all he really knew of his family history was the fact that they had come from Egypt. But what's even weirder was the fact that they never took a family trip there. It was like they wanted to cut ties from their native homeland for the rest of their lives; so what would be the reason for that?

"And if you are wondering how does it relate to the story you've been waiting so impatiently for," Grandpa chuckled in amusement, as Yami glared at him with not an entertained look on his features. "He was the very same Pharaoh that possessed the Millennium Items." Yami couldn't help but widen his eyes in astonishment.

"There were seven Millennium Items created around five thousand years ago; the reason why they had been coveted at that time was that they held mystical powers. Of course back in Egypt, power was fought over by the rulers and the peasants. The ruler at that time was named Atem. He had first come to the throne to put an end to certain things. His father had passed away and he was merely seventeen when he ascended."

_So I'm reincarnated from a guy named Atem… _Yami thought to himself, but he didn't dare interrupt his elder's story.

"Atem possessed the Millennium Puzzle, which was said to have the most power out of the other items. Then there was the Millennium Key – which was supposed to have manipulated people's minds. Thirdly, the next item was the Millennium Rod, which was another item used to control people and to send people's souls into the Shadow Realm. I can imagine that you have questions about that, Yami, but you will find out soon enough. There was also the Millennium Ring, which was known to use dark magic; legend had it that there was an evil spirit that was locked away within. The Millennium Necklace was the closest thing to a fortune teller. It told the future. The most uncommon item would be the Millennium Scale, but even then, it wasn't as frequently used as the other items. Finally, there was the Millennium Eye; like the Millennium Puzzle, the Rod and the Ring, it sent people to the Shadow Realm." Grandpa paused for a few moments, as he searched Yami's expression to see if he was confused about anything. But as it turned out, he understood quite perfectly.

"Why were these items created in the first place?"

"Five thousand years ago, there was a great evil that threatened to destroy the world. In order to save it, Atem had locked all of the dark magic away within the Millennium Items and erased his own memory to defeat the villain." Maybe this was too far-fetched for Yami to even believe. And what made his grandpa think that he was the reincarnation of Atem?

"I get all that Grandpa, I do. But why do you think I'm Atem's reincarnation?" Honestly, it just didn't make any sense to the ten year old.

"It is something that you can understand when you are older."

As it turned out, in ten years, Yami would find himself on a quest; a quest that would only turn out to be cruel for some, and an amazing discovery for others. And it would only be at that time when he would fully understand who he was meant to be…

**:3 :3 :3**

**Prologues are supposed to be short. **

**And before you tell me: "Hey; this is a rip off of that awesome Nicholas Cage movie National Treasure!" do not yell at me. I'm actually going to make this original. **

**If this is not your cup of tea, STFU and go somewhere else.**

**But if you do like this story so far, please leave a review; I'd love to know what you think! ^_^**


	2. Indiana Jones' Reincarnate

**Okay! Here's the first chapter to Millennium Love! I'm so excited! ^_^ I've read each and every one of your reviews; you guys are the best! :D**

**Millennium Love**

**Chapter 1: Indiana Jones' Reincarnate**

Egypt; the very place where it all began. The building of the pyramids, the hieroglyphics telling the story of ancient pharaohs and the creation of the Millennium Items. It was a place where adrenaline, excitement, nerves and mystery all met. It was the homeland of Yami's family; it was a place where Yami could call home.

It had been ten years since he learned of that fateful discovery. During the time lapse, Yami took it upon himself to learn everything there was to know about Ancient Egypt; after all, it would help him when he was off to go and find the Millennium Items.

Yami had never been as much excited to do anything else in his entire life.

So what if he wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school? So what if he had been known as a nerd in sophomore, junior and senior years? So what if his family wasn't famous in a good way? Yami would still find the Millennium Items – no matter how long it took for him to find them.

Did his family approve of his decision to go racing around the world for some sort of hint to their whereabouts? Even if he should be in university at his age? Meh. Yami's little brother, Yugi, seemed to be the only one that approved of his ambition, but his father… well… he wasn't entirely surprised that Yami wanted to spend his life doing this sort of thing.

He was twenty years old and he was not like any other guy at his age. He would rather play Jenga on a Tuesday night rather than drinking his troubles away. He would rather play children's card games (like Go Fish) than play Beer Pong. Maybe that was why he was classified as a major nerd, but whatever. Or maybe it was his unusual hairstyle; a combination of pink, blonde and black that resembled a huge starfish on his head…

"It's so hot in here, Yami. Mind turnin' up the AC?" A strong, Brooklyn accent interrupted Yami from his thoughts, causing him to look behind.

"Are we getting any closer?" Yami's amethyst eyes glowed, as he stared into his friend Joseph Wheeler's brown eyes. He was giving him a look that pretty much threatened him no cool air coming through the vents unless they were at their destination. Joseph just happened to be the one looking at the map.

"I think so. But don't you think it woulda been easier if we got a laptop?" Joseph, or his affectionate bromance pet name Joey, inquired. Yami knew he was trying to make him feel like a cheapskate. But he wasn't.

"What's wrong with a map and compass?"

"Joey's just afraid he'll get himself lost," a third party snickered to himself, as he crossed his bare muscular arms and stared at the nineteen year old Brooklyn kid behind black sunglasses.

"Screw off, Keith; don't tell me you ain't thinkin' the same thing," Joey retorted.

Bandit Keith was their third member in the group, who also agreed to come along to hunt for some treasure. Basically that was the only reason why he was there. If he wasn't, he'd be back in the United States, watching Michael Bay movies and throwing darts or something. Joey thought the guy was a complete bastard, but his opinions were kept to himself.

"Should we just dump him and leave him out in the sand?" Yami pondered out loud, although it was pretty obvious he was being sarcastic. But on rare occasions, it would be very difficult to figure out Yami's character. No one, except for Joey, could predict his next move.

"It would save us some money for food," Bandit Keith chuckled in amusement, as he 'fondly' remembered some stops along their journey. Joey was known for his huge appetite; Keith made it his personal mission to remind him how much of a pig he could be.

"Very funny," Joey mumbled, not amused by Yami's sense of humour. He looked out of the Jeep window and at first sight at a town coming up, he widened his eyes. Finally. "I think we're here you guys."

"Cairo? Are you sure about that?"

"I'm pretty sure. We've passed the last town an hour ago and since we've been travelling in this distinct direction, it's gotta be Cairo." Joey had learned to tolerate Yami's sarcasm on a few occasions and this one was no different – even though his tone of voice was annoyed.

"Next stop is the museum. Let's see if we can actually find some treasure." It only occurred to Yami now that he had a feeling that Bandit Keith was as ruthless and selfish as he appeared to be. He knew that he should be careful, as should Joey.

**:3 :3 :3**

It was summer and much to Yami's surprise, Cairo didn't really receive a lot of Japanese visitors at this time. But there were some occasions when there would be archaeologists willing to do a little business and such, but tourists usually came in the winter. Yami did not blame them.

Yami really wondered if travelling to Egypt was worth it at this time of year. Considering that the weather was like way higher than twenty degrees Celsius.

"I feel like we're in The Mummy movies," Joey pointed out, with a somewhat uncomfortable expression on his face. Joey had never travelled outside of his home country, much less to a place like this. The only thing he knew about Egypt really was the museum back in Domino City and the classic The Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get to see them film another one."

Yami pursed his lips, but decided to say nothing. As much as he wanted to point out to Joey that there wasn't another movie in the works, he didn't want to spoil anything for him. After all, Joey did remind him of an overly enthusiastic dog sometimes.

"Are we almost there?" Keith inquired, with an impatient tone of voice, as he followed Yami through the crowd of people – that were both large and loud. It was amazing how many people could fit in a small village, whereas this was the biggest of them all. At least, that was what Bandit Keith always assumed.

"It has to be here somewhere," Yami murmured before taking another look at the local map. Apparently, according to Bandit Keith, he was better with his sense of direction than Joey was; but Yami had a feeling he only said that to scratch Joey's ego.

"That wouldn't happen to be the Museum, now would it?" A tall building, which happened to emasculate the other buildings in Cairo, seemed to catch Joey's attention much quicker than the others. Considering that beautiful paintings which depicted ancient Egyptian life were part of the building's essential design, the others had to assume that this was the museum.

Bandit Keith smirked, before he patted Joey, a little too hard, on the back. "Well what do you know? You're not as dumb as you look sometimes, Wheeler."

**:3 :3 :3**

Good. There were hardly any visitors here today, which would make things less complicated and easier for the trio of treasure hunters. But a surprise visit to the head of the department shouldn't be all that surprising; Yami did make an appointment to see him.

The museum itself was pretty, and basically larger than the one back in Domino City. Not only were there a lot more artefacts, more effort into beautifying the place attracted more people. Joey did actually wonder how expensive it was to keep this place up and running, not to mention the renovations that had to take place once a year or something like that.

Joey could pretty much tell that Bandit Keith was bored. He knew he had no interest in history whatsoever, and not only was he that disgusted by Egyptian history, he was impatient to get the heck out of there. In fact, he looked terrifyingly intimidating. With a red shirt, black vest, tan pants and a grimace planted on his face, no one would go out of their way to talk to him, yet alone approach him.

Sometimes, Joey didn't even know why he came along. But since Yami was his friend, and Joey had nothing better to do this past summer, Joey came along; besides – wouldn't it be amazing to find the seven Millennium Items?

Meanwhile, Yami was left to talk to the curator of the museum. You would think they'd name this place something a little more original.

As much as Yami himself was impressed by the artistic architecture, he couldn't be distracted. He had a mission. When he talked to the man Odion on the phone, he explained the situation to him. Odion agreed to give him some information about it, but how much did he know, really?

Yami came to the end of the hallway, which had been long enough in his opinion; he saw a door on the left. Bingo; it was Odion's office. He smirked, quite pleased that he was one step closer…

He didn't have to knock on the door twice. He already did it once and at once he could hear Odion's voice booming throughout the room. "Come in."

Yami didn't hesitate. He didn't take much notice of his surroundings, other than the fact that Odion's office was dark. This certainly didn't make this encounter all the more creepy. At least, that was what Yami thought.

"Please, have a seat," Odion – being gracious and honourable – gestured to a chair that sat across from his desk. Yami couldn't help but notice that it was a little bit dusty, which made him wonder when the last time Odion had ever spoken to anyone.

"You are Yami Mutou," Odion stated. Even from such a distance, and lack of light, Yami could tell that he had hazel eyes which glowed with curiosity but most of all – mystery. If anything, Yami loved to solve puzzles and mysteries, therefore he looked forward to this visit. Odion didn't appear to be a harmful fellow, Yami noted. Even from the dark, he could tell that he had a muscular build, which was hidden by dark clothing. Although the tattoo on his face puzzled him…

"I am," Yami nodded. "And I am here to find about the-"

"Millennium Items. My sister told me you were planning to stop by." What a small world, it seemed. Before Joey, Yami and Bandit Keith even made it to Cairo, Egypt, they had stopped by the Domino City Museum to talk to Ishizu – who happened to be stationed there as the head curator of the Egyptian exhibit; she did give them some information, but if they needed more, they could just come to Cairo. Yami had next to no idea that Ishizu and Odion were related. "She has given you her Necklace, has she not?"

Yami nearly forgotten about that… Ishizu was gracious enough to give it to him; not to mention the fact that she had told him that it was his destiny. Yami was confused about it, to be sure, but maybe it had something to do with him being the reincarnation of the Pharaoh from five thousand years ago.

"Yes, she has."

"I know of several places where two of the Millennium Items are. But one of those places will be excruciatingly difficult to get into." The look in his eyes had asked Yami if he was up to the challenge.

"I am up to the task."

"Do you wish to know the location of the Millennium Puzzle?" Yami nodded, not wanting to interrupt. "I imagine you know that the items have been separated for a specific reason. The most powerful of them all, the Puzzle, has been kept for display in Washington D.C. The location of the Millennium Eye happens to belong to Maximillion Pegasus, who also lives in America."

Maximillion Pegasus, who happened to be one of the wealthiest men in the States, was the inventor of Duel Monsters – which was a children's card game that became exceedingly popular throughout the world. So he did happen to have the Eye… Yami knew that he could search for this later; his first priority had to be the Puzzle.

"What's the hard part?"

"Getting both of these items will be difficult, Mr. Mutou. However, this doesn't mean there isn't a way." In other words, Yami had to figure everything else out. There was nothing better than solving a puzzle using only one brain.

**:3 :3 :3**

Bandit Keith, Joey and Yami had met at one of the Egyptian exhibits; Joey and Bandit Keith were already there before Yami had even arrived. But when they noticed the look on Yami's face, both Joey and Bandit Keith knew that there was something troubling him. Keith prayed that there weren't any dead ends that would prevent him from finding the treasure. Meanwhile, Joey was curious as to what Yami had even talked about with Odion.

"Do you want the good news, or the bad news?" Yami asked.

"Good news."

"Odion has told me where the two other items were; both of them are in the United States. The Puzzle is in Washington, D.C. which is on display. The Eye, however, belongs to Maximillion Pegasus." Both Bandit Keith and Joey widened their eyes in complete shock; who knew that a legendary game maker such as Pegasus would possess something like that? It was astonishing, really…

"But what's the bad news?"

Yami sighed, as he rubbed his temples. He didn't know how to break it to them, honestly he didn't. "The problem is that the people running the Museum in America aren't going to let us take it. Not to mention Pegasus won't give his Eye up either."

Total silence. Awkward silence. It may have gone on for minutes, before Bandit Keith decided to throw in his two cents. "We could borrow them." Yami narrowed his amethyst eyes, suddenly not liking where this was going. Neither did Joey – who crumpled his hands into fists.

"Steal them? I don't think so," Yami scoffed.

"You know, Yami, you once told me that these were legendary treasures. And I know how you bitter you feel. I know how it feels like for people to mock you for being treasure hunters. If you could find the Items, you could prove them all wrong; you could gain respect for your family."

Both Yami and Joey knew he was trying to guilt him into doing it. Yami wasn't raised to be a criminal; he was raised to be respectful to others and to abide the law.

"I will not steal those Items," Yami declared firmly and adamantly, as he crossed his arms.

"If that's the way you want to be…" Bandit Keith chuckled, before he snapped his fingers. Yami and Joey furrowed their eyebrows, confused by this gesture.

But it all made sense the moment three people came through the entrances to the other exhibits in this place. One of them had spiky black hair, tanned skin and a cocky grin. The second man had red hair, glasses and appeared to be a reject from Guitar Hero. The third person was not at all what either Yami or Joey expected; the final person to show up happened to be short, pale and similar to a zombie. The black hair was that obvious.

But what really put shivers down Yami's spine was the fact that all three of them had guns.

"Take care of them."

Yet before any of Keith's cronies could even pull the trigger, Yami pulled on Joey's collar and shoved him behind the large statue that stood conveniently behind them. And then there were the gunshots.

"I knew I had a bad feeling about this," Joey mumbled, before taking a quick peak from behind the statue to look at Bandit Keith.

Star Wars references weren't enough to get them out of their alive this time. But security had to have heard the noise, right?

**:3 :3 :3**

**I apologize if the chapter seems a little meh. But I actually think it's decent. XD**

**Please leave a review; I'd love to know what you think!**


	3. Curious Case of Tea Gardener

**Believe it or not, I've had next to no inspiration for this story. I know that sucks balls, but please, give me some slack. :P I hope you guys like this chapter!**

**Millennium Love**

**Chapter 2: Curious Case of Tea Gardener**

Apparently, her boss decided to take another trip somewhere – leaving his poorly paid intern/personal assistant Tea Gardener to take care of all the crap he left behind. Needless to say, Tea was not impressed; what kind of man would back out on his duties to one of Washington D.C's distinguished museums? In Tea's opinion, he should have gotten fired. But that's just her.

Tea could have quit if she wanted to, but she decided that she needed all the money she could get to pursue her dream to become a dancer. She knew that it was going to be a difficult journey ahead of her, but as long as she loved what she did… there was no arguing against that case.

She wanted to go to Juilliard – which happened to be an amazing school that would enhance her talents: to make her better than she was before. That was her dream right there. But the only problem was money. The freaking school was just too expensive. Tea didn't care how long it took her to achieve her goals; as long as she fundraised the money, she could go. That had been her parents' advice.

Azure eyes glanced out the window, meanwhile sighing in the process. She so happened to feel like she was trapped, like a bird in a cage. She happened to feel that this dinky sized office filled with overdue paperwork had done nothing but stress her out entirely. So why not quit?

She also had a part-time gig at Burger King; as much as she kind of liked that job, minimum wage was not kind to her. As she may repeat herself once again, she needed all the moola she could get.

"Tea, you have two guests that are here to see you." Tea sighed heavily once more, before mentally scrubbing away all thoughts pertaining to dance, serving burgers and money aside. She had to concentrate now – no more daydreaming. Unfortunately this habit did not escape her since high school.

"Bring them in," Tea smiled toward Serenity – who happened to be Tea's 'secretary' whenever their idiotic boss happened to go away on 'business': which happened 90% of the time.

Serenity was a kind-hearted girl, and like Tea, she also had a dream to become a schoolteacher; she was good with children. It also helped Tea's sanity, though, that the two girls spent some of their free time together.

"Just warning you now; one of them is super cute," Serenity giggled, before exiting the room, leaving Tea in a mortified state. Unsurprisingly, Serenity had a tendency to set her friend up on multiple dates – just because she was afraid of Tea being 'lonely'. She could tolerate that most days, but today… Tea didn't know how much more insanity she could take.

It was at times like these when she wished she could go home.

**Two Hours Earlier**

The flight from Cairo couldn't have gone any slower. Yami didn't know how long it took them to fly over the Atlantic Ocean, but he did know that it was an extremely painful endeavour to endure. Not to mention Joey's also been feeling in the dumps, ever since Bandit Keith had turned on them both.

Needless to say, both of them did feel like tremendous idiots for trusting them. But after spending twenty minutes on the plane apologizing for their reckless behaviour, both of them felt like they could take on the world now. Yet Yami was very impatient – everyone could tell how tense he was, with his narrow-set eyes, his crossed arms and one leg crossed over the other. In other words, the other passengers got the feeling Yami was in no mood to acknowledge their presence. Some could even say his own presence was… frightening. Luckily for everyone else on the plane, the flight had ended and they managed to quickly walk down the aisle and proceed to the airport. Everyone except for Yami and Joey who took sweet time into getting their carry-on bags.

"It wasn't your fault, Yami," Joey's Brooklyn accent managed to have some sort of effect on Yami – whose hands instinctively crumpled into fists.

"You nearly got killed, Joey." The thought of losing a dear friend in the midst of a heated gun-fight was not pleasant in Yami's opinion. In fact, it was set in stone that Yami would remain forever guilty; pursuing objects of rumoured legendary power… it was not worth finding them that is if Joey died as a result of Bandit Keith's betrayal.

"Man, are you still thinking about that? Relax a little. I know what I signed up for," Joey's goofy grin and two thumbs up did wonders to calm his eldest friend down. Yami nodded, finally understanding, before the two men continued to walk out the doors of the airport with their luggage intact.

Money had been an issue and it will always be in the factored equation throughout their journey. Yami never came from a wealthy family, although it had been a miracle to say the least that Yami had saved enough money for plane tickets (but he had to work his ass off to get where he was today), hotel stays and food expenses. It did help though that Joey had come along and at first, Yami did protest to his decision.

The one reason why Joey came was the freedom to do whatever he wanted to do without any consequences. Yami understood for the most part that his family was not the most supportive – especially with a drunk father, an inattentive mother of whom he had not seen for several years since the divorce, but Joey always had his little sister Serenity backing him up.

Whereas Yami's relationship with his family wasn't as strong as the one Joey had with his sister. Yami shook his head, clearing the thoughts of his family dynamics away for the time being. Now wasn't the time to be contemplating such things. He had to think about finding the other Millennium Items. Just imagining what Bandit Keith would use them for angered him. Yami didn't think that he was a treasure hunter before, but now, he considered himself to be a treasure protector.

He knew exactly what kind of life Keith had before he even met Yami, as he had explained to him before. Never once did it occur to Yami that he led a criminal life until Bandit Keith explained to him perfectly just a few short months ago…

Why couldn't he have seen this happen?

"Yami? Are you even listening?" And once again, Yami was brought back to the land of the living; where his friend stared at him with brief annoyance.

"I'm sorry," Yami stated. There was no excuse to justify his lack of concentration; only the guilt that continued to build up inside of him.

"I was saying we should go visit Serenity. She can help us," Joey grinned, patting Yami on the back several times. "She works at one of the museums here. Believe it or not, there's supposed to be an awesome Egyptian exhibit."

How could Yami say no to him? Especially since Joey was always looking for an excuse to see his baby sister again, considering that they haven't seen each other in several years. "Alright."

It was a win-win situation, depending on how you looked at it. But Yami was not that selfish; after all, if claiming to protect ancient artifacts weren't proof of that, then what was?

**Two Hours Later (Present Time)**

It took them two hours to finally find the building. Washington, D.C wasn't exactly the easiest place for them to navigate through. And it especially didn't help that they haven't been to the city before. Joey, without a doubt, showed more frustration than Yami did – as his composure remained relatively calm and patient. Joey, on the other hand, behaved somewhat like a little child; a little temper tantrum, pouting lips, crossed arms and nearly successful attempts to pulling out strands of blonde hair.

Maybe this could be contributed to the fact that Joey never had anything to eat since that morning before their flight.

So before the two of them could proceed to the museum, they had to stop at McDonald's for some food. Two Big Macs, two packs of small fries and six chicken nuggets later, Joey was back to his happy-go-lucky mood once again. Yami was that grateful, knowing fully well that working with an underfed Joey meant nothing but trouble.

But still, trouble seemed to fall on both of them. They agreed that the first stop they should make was the FBI; unfortunately, telling the head of the bureau pretty much laughed in their faces. They said that the Puzzle couldn't be stolen and it was impossible to even get that close to it (unless you're a visitor to the museum). Joey knew that this was probably the second time that Yami had appeared to be angry about something.

And so, ten minutes later, they walked toward the museum which happened to be a block nearby.

"So your sister works here?" Yami raised his eyebrows in curiosity, as they walked up the stairs.

"Yeah. But let's just hope that she doesn't think we're crazy. If she thinks we're crazy, there's no way that she'd help." Yami gave him a blank expression, which pretty much asked him if he was planning to tell Serenity everything…

"We're not looking for someone crazy. One step less than crazy, what do you get?"

"Obsessed?"

"Passionate."

**:3 :3 :3**

Tea sighed, sitting down in her chair, in complete boredom. She twirled several pieces of her chestnut hair, trying her very best to be patient; Serenity did tell her that there were two guys who wanted to talk, but she didn't say when they were planning to arrive. It turned out that she didn't have to wait for very long.

Tea's blue eyes widened in astonishment at the first sight of one of the men who entered the room… Her heartbeat slowed down in anticipation, but it pounded against her chest. Feelings of euphoria and anxiety ricocheted in her stomach for some unfathomable reason. Only one man had the power to do that. And apparently, it had to be this guy.

He was a man with a straight, tall composure (that may very well match a king's). His eyes were amethyst and full of emotion, which had to be the understatement of the year, his hair was spiked, defying gravity as it were, and it was difficult to tell whether or not onyx was his natural hair colour. But she couldn't say she disliked his lightning blonde bangs, and the trimmings of his hair dipped in dark pink.

Oh man, was he ever a hunk….

Tea shook her head, completely shocked as to her irrational deduction. She should not be gaping at him like a love-sick fool.

"Good afternoon guys," Tea greeted, putting on a delicate smile, a genuine one, switching her gaze from the 'hunky' man to the blonde one – of which she had just noticed.

"So you're the curator of this museum?" Tea pursed her lips, immediately taking note that the blonde man – who is gazing at her curiously – is most likely from Brooklyn; with that accent, it wasn't that hard to decode.

"Actually, I'm not. I'm just a poorly paid intern," Tea chuckled sheepishly. She could feel the other man's gaze on her and yet she could feel her cheeks warming up gradually. _Get a grip on yourself! _"My boss is actually gone on another business trip." She would have thrown up at those words. "But I can help you for the time being."

"Are you an expert on Egyptian history?"

Tea shrugged. "I guess you could say I know a little bit about it. I actually spent this past winter in Egypt."

"Really? Yami's from Egypt, aren't you?" The blonde smirked, nudging his friend in the ribs. Tea truly didn't know how to respond to that, but she was contemplating whether or not he was implying something. Tea could never really understand much of what guys were like.

"Yes. It is my homeland," Yami said simply, though he did give a small smile. It may as well be a good thing though; Tea probably would have assumed that he was deadly serious… not that she liked that kind of guy. What was she saying? Judging from the way he was staring into her eyes, Tea had to guess that he was waiting for an introduction.

"I'm Tea Gardener," she said, but at the back of her head, she gave an eye roll. Tea mentally clapped herself on the back, completely embarrassed that she had only waited until now to give out her name.

"I'm Joey." Tea smiled from ear to ear, shaking his hand in acknowledgment.

"It is nice to meet you," Yami supplied, holding out a hand for her to shake. Tea had to say that she liked how strong and calloused his hand was, not to mention that it was warm… Okay – that was enough!

"So how can I help you?"

"Well, it is not easy to say this, Miss Gardener, but… someone's going to steal the Millennium Puzzle."

If one had to be truly honest, Tea must admit that she wasn't expecting someone to say this. Shivers ran down her spine, but she had to tell herself that this couldn't possibly be true. But was this guy actually lying to her? He didn't seem the type to…

"It's true."

"I think I should be getting you two in touch with the FBI-"

"But we've already been there. They said that it couldn't possibly be stolen."

"They're right."

Tea also had to admit that this was the most… unusual conversation she had with anybody. But there was no doubt she couldn't take it for a joke; who would even joke about something like this? She could tell from Yami's beautiful eyes that he was not lying…

But she also had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. And she knew better than to stray away from her instincts.

"Are you aware of the Millennium Items, Miss Gardener?" There was no way that Yami, as tantalizing as the name sounds, sounded so condescending. In fact, Tea was pretty much certain that he liked to share his knowledge. Her heartbeat soared, even though her mind was telling her over and over again that she should just stay away from him. But that was her paranoia talking again.

"I heard about some of them; like the Necklace." Why was he making her feel this way? Why did she like the fact that his eyes were piercing into her very soul? It was like he was searching for the truth in her…

"You mean like this?" Tea nearly gasped in astonishment, as Yami pulled out, from one of his pockets, a gold item and placed it unto the desk. Her eyes remained glued on it, taking a better look of it… but how could this even be possible? How could Yami have this beautiful artifact in his possession?

"How did you get it?"

"A friend in Egypt gave it to me," Yami explained. "On the condition that I find the rest." Tea's eyes flickered back toward Yami, puzzled by what he had just said. _What an enigma… _

"What do you mean?"

"There are seven items altogether; each of them have a specific power. But if they're all gathered in one place at the same time, it is said that they contain power that no one could ever hope to dream about."

Tea nodded. "Yeah, I've heard something like that. But who's trying to steal this power?"

Joey and Yami exchanged a look, before Joey decided to cut into the discussion. "A very bad man."

Tea scrutinized Joey, staring into his eyes, trying to determine whether or not he's lying. "Is it Bigfoot?" Sarcasm was one of her traits, but not something that she used often. Joey looked like he was going to retort, but his friend beat him to it.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss Gardener. Thank you. Come along, Joey."

When the two of them exited the room, Tea bit her lip; after everything that just happened… what was she to do now? What could she even believe? She knew for certain that this would not be the last time she saw Yami again.

For some unexplainable reason, she really hoped that she would see him again. But let's hope that her heart wouldn't be exposed to heartbreak once again.

**:3 :3 :3**

**Here's your blasted update! XD I hope you did like the chapter… mind leaving a review? Please?**


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